Q&A · 4:29:19-4:30:38

Dominion shipbuilding would multiply Allied escort capacity

Large Canadian and Australian cruiser and carrier programs would add ships directly and create industrial capacity for many more escorts.

Question

What changes if Canada and Australia each build large series of cruisers and Unicorn-based light carriers?

Short answer

The Allies gain many cruisers and carriers, while the supporting Dominion shipbuilding infrastructure multiplies escort and small-ship production.

Notes

The proposed Canadian and Australian cruiser and carrier totals would require major adjustments to the treaty system. Their direct addition would give the Allies many more surface combatants and flight decks at the start of war. The industrial effect is at least as important as the first batch of ships. Expanded yards, skilled labor, and supplier networks would rapidly improve the Dominions' ability to build escorts and smaller wartime vessels as well. The scenario shows how a prewar major-ship program can multiply later emergency production far beyond the ships named in the original plan.